Vanabode Travel for $20 a Day Guide Review

by bethany1980 on January 11, 2015

I recently downloaded the e-book Vanabode. This is a travel guide that teaches you how to travel on $20 a day all over the world! Normally on average people spend $60-$200 a day traveling but using the frugal tips in Vanabode you can cut those costs drastically. The guide even teaches you some great life hacks to utilize your “vanabode” even when you are not traveling to help you save money or in an emergency situation. This is a great resource that can help you change the way you look at travel and your van completely.

There are 32 different chapters that make life in the “vanabode” seem more realistic and desirable. Now honestly, living in a van is kind of a stretch for me personally, but if you have the lifestyle that you can do it then this book gives you some really great sound advice on all the little things like getting your mail, safety, budgeting, camping, and much much more!! Mainly because we have children still in school. However after our children are out of the house and on their own me and the husband have big dreams to spend our days traveling and living on the road. So this was a great read for future use!

Here is an example of some invaluable tips you will find in “Vanabode”

1. Getting Questioned by the Police:

There is actually nothing to fear, Odom points out, and in 17 years he’s only been woken up and questioned twice.

If woken up in the night by a police officer: be polite—they are just doing their job. Don’t answer the knock with a weapon in hand, obviously, and don’t have open containers of alcohol in your van, even if it is your home, it’s still a vehicle, says Odom.

The police officer will most likely ask you what you are doing there, and Odom advises to explain that you drove a long way that day and you wanted to rest so that you don’t get in an accident. The officer may tell you to move on because it’s illegal to sleep there, or if you’re lucky, he might “hint” that he won’t be returning to the area that night, in which case you can go back to sleep.

And speaking of sleep, Odom’s chapter on getting deep sleep offers valuable advice for finding the best spots (if you have a white van like his, for instance, parking next to a row of delivery vans at Sears will make you camouflaged forever), and best tactics to avoid nighttime interruptions. If you’re seriously considering moving into your wheels, this book might be a valuable packing item, especially because Odom offers his customers his lifetime guidance via email should they have further questions on the road.

2. Make Money On the Road

A web designer himself, Odom points that going mobile doesn’t mean going moneyless. In fact, you should probably have some income to pay for your fuel. Here’s a few of his ideas for how to make money on the road, which includes freelance gigs, writing an ebook, selling on eBay and working at National Parks.

3. Eating Right on the Road:

Along with good hygiene, ingesting healthy foods is an essential component of happiness, says Odom, who carries a cooler to store raw food straight from the farmers market. “The fuller you keep the cooler the longer the ice lasts,” advises Odom. A plastic tub for non perishables in a cool, shaded part of the van takes care of other essentials.

If you move into your van, and you’re living in the same city, then a gym membership takes care of most of your personal hygiene needs.

If you’re on the road, Odom recommends getting well acquainted with a sponge bath over a plastic tub in the privacy of your van. But if you want a real shower, try truck stops or camp grounds. “In many cases you can skip the cost though and simply drive in and around the campground until you find the shower facilities. Then park and take a quick shower and leave,” writes Odom.

Also take advantage of single user bathrooms, found in small restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations. They usually have “everything you need to take a hot sponge bath, shave, use the toilet, sanitize, floss and brush your teeth, and get a good look at your face in the mirror,” writes Odom.

5. Making A Bed:

Maybe all you need is a bedroll or a twin mattress flung in the back, but if you’re really into the feng shui of van life, or if you just want to have optimal living conditions here is a detailed link for how to construct a true bed on wheels.